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Nokia Launches Content Recommendations App

Nokia Xpress Now recommends content to Asha phone owners in India.

Nokia(NYSE:NOK) has launched Nokia Xpress Now, a Web app that helps users find content on their Asha phones based on the "wisdom of the crowds."

Pulling data from more than 80 million Nokia Xpress Browser users and their browsing preferences, Nokia Xpress Now curates content in three ways. Users can view what's popular among other browsers nearby, can get website recommendations, and will see recent showcased stories that Xpress Now users have "liked."

Nokia began developing Xpress Now after it realized that mobile phone customers in emerging markets have "very narrow browsing patterns." In the company's blog, Nokia Xpress Services Vice President Andy Kelm wrote:

Soon after we launched the Nokia Xpress Browser, we learned just how popular the Web is among consumers, but we also learned how homogenous their browsing patterns are within a country. Many of them are not coming from a world of desktop browsing, and they only know a few popular web sites. We realized that by using a sophisticated recommendations engine, we could change that.

Currently, Nokia is beta-testing Xpress Now in India. The company will expand Xpress Now availability to other Nokia Asha devices and countries throughout 2013.

According to Gartner, Nokia's smartphone market position dropped to No. 10 in the first quarter of 2013 from No. 8 in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Author

Kevin Chen covers the tech sector in China. With degrees in history and economics, he scours government sources, magazines, blogs, and earnings reports before making any investment decision. You can follow him at @TMFKang or on Google+.